Category Archives: Postcards Used

Easter Blessings

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Divided back, artist-signed, embossed, used postcard. Postmarked from Marysville, California on March 27, 1929. Artist:  Margaret Evans Price. Publisher:  Stecher Lithographic Company, Rochester, New York. Copyrighted design. Series 502 A.

Availability status:  SOLD  

Another beautiful Easter postcard, this one in a church-type setting with a leaded-glass window and white background behind a charmingly dressed young woman with a sweet expression. She wears a dotted old-fashioned hoop skirt (or one with many petticoats?) and a velvet-looking blue jacket with black collar. Note the wide sleeves at the wrist that show off the ruffled blouse cuffs, and the corsage pinned to the jacket. Her black bonnet is trimmed with a band of flowers, she is reading Bible verse we presume, and is surrounded by various potted flowers.  “Easter Blessings”  is the caption below, the card is embossed and has a border of light purple. Easy to miss are the artist’s initials M.E.P. that are next to one of the plants on the left.

M.E.P. was Margaret Evans Price (1888-1973) American artist, author, illustrator, muralist, toy designer, known primarily for the many children’s books she wrote, illustrated or collaborated on. For more information on the artist see the excellent website in the source below.

This is another of many in The Alice Ellison (Mrs. J. M. Ellison) Collection. The name was misspelled or written in haste here as “Ellersun” and appears to be signed,  “E. B___?, Virginia and Mack.”

Source:  Margaret Evans Price. http://www.meibohmfinearts.com/artists.aspx. (accessed February 14, 2024).

Bunny Embrace

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Divided back, used postcard. No. 7713? Postmarked from Dixon, California, April 16, 1908. Publisher:  Richard Behrendt, San Francisco, California. Made in Germany.

Price:  $8.00 for digital scan only. Original in web author’s personal collection.

“Dear Cora!  Rec’d you card and it was very pretty. How is every thing, all O.K? It is warm up here now. Farmers are all crying for rain up here. Hope they get it soon. Kind Regards to you all from Ellen  – Write Soon”

Card is addressed to:  “Miss Cora Hollenstein, Salinas, Cala.”

This is a postcard that my friend bought for me since my husband and I have our own bunny (the most beautiful in the world – and they all are; as well as the most beautiful kitty in the world, and they all are.) So, this card is only for sale as a digital scan. Anyway, this is just a precious image:  A little girl with light brown curls, sits outside on a lawn, holding a closed umbrella (for some reason an umbrella, but this makes the picture even better.) She has an Easter basket of eggs beside her, and is dressed charmingly, with red striped stockings, a blue skirt, white peasant-type blouse, white apron, a red and blue scarf or perhaps this is part of a pinafore, and an embroidered-looking hat. Directly behind her is a taller basket with her brown bunny appearing out of it to give her a hug. Girl and bun are cheek to cheek, and their expressions are wonderful. The caption Easter Greetings appears in light purple at the top left, after which the sender has written,  “to you all from Ellen Anderson.”

The card has the postal markings from Salinas on the front, as well as the postmark for Dixon, California on the back. Perhaps I will do a Photoshop version of the image without the postal markings. (When I get some extra time, ha – or finally learn how to “bend the space-time continuum” ha ha. This last remark is part of caption from a great newspaper comic that appeared somewhere, that I hope I saved. If I can find it, I will put post it. Why not?) This postcard is also interesting for the fact that we are also experiencing (unfortunately) a drought here in California, just as the farmers were in the Dixon area in April of 1908.

The addressee on this card is likely the same as appearing with her parents and siblings on the 1910 Federal Census, taken in the Santa Rita precinct of Alisal Township (Salinas today) California. The family is as follows:  Henry H. Hollenstein, occupation farmer, born Denmark about 1836; his wife Maria M., born Denmark about 1853; their children Andrew B., born California about 1879; Henry H., born Arizona about 1884; Harrietta? C., born Arizona about 1882; Mabel E., born Arizona about 1887; and Cora M., born Arizona about 1890.

The card is postmarked from what must be Dixon, California (located about 23 miles from Sacramento, in northern Solano County) since Ellen is saying  “it is warm up here…”  Dixon is about 150 highway miles north of Salinas. The postmarked date is April 16, year is probably 1908.

As to the sender of this postcard, Ellen appears on the 1900 Federal Census taken in Dixon, with her parents. The family is as follows:  Andrew Anderson, occupation farmer, born Sweden in May 1857; his wife Hilda, born Sweden in November 1865; and their daughter Ellen V., born California in January 1889.

Sources:  Year: 1910; Census Place: Alisal, Monterey, California; Roll: T624_89; Page: 3A; Enumeration District: 0002; FHL microfilm: 1374102. (Ancestry.com)

Year: 1900; Census Place: Dixon, Solano, California; Roll: 113; Page: 8B; Enumeration District: 0145; FHL microfilm: 1240113. (Ancestry.com)

Easter Calla Lilies

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Divided back, lightly embossed, used postcard. Postmark appears to be April 10, 1915. Publisher unknown. Series 75 F. Made in the U.S.A. (Publisher or printing heading containing the S in oval mark is the same as the card posted April 12, 2014 on this site under the title Bunny School.)

Price:  $4.00

“Dear Mother – If you are all togged up like I will be on Easter every body will be sure to know you by your clothes. Love from all. Lizzie”

Addressed to:  “Mrs. Alice Ellison, 1730 – J – St., Sacramento California

A lightly embossed postcard of three calla lilies on a background of white with a purple “backwards L” shape. A lovely composition with the caption Easter Greetings at the top. The whole postmarked date did not get stamped on the card but from what we can see it appears to be April 10, 1915. The unusual thing about this card is Lizzie’s expression “all togged up.” Of course, we understand that it means all dressed up, but in googling the expression we find similar examples such as,  “With my new suit people say I am togged to the bricks.”  “They were all togged out in dinner jackets and ball gowns.”  And  “We got togged up in our glad rags.”  Togged out meaning to get dressed up. The Oxford dictionary has this entry for the origin of the expression:

“Early 18th century (as a slang term for a coat or outer garment): apparently an abbreviation of obsolete criminals’ slang togeman(s) ‘a light cloak’, from French toge or Latin toga.”

This will be the first of many postcards put up on this site under The Alice Ellison Collection:  A group of around 150 – 200 antique or vintage postcards that we’ve been so kindly given by a friend, which had been in her family’s collection for years, and that we are most happy to have.

Sources:  http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/tog

“tog.” https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/tog (accessed February 14, 2024).

De Nombreuses Joies Pour Les Fêtes De Paques

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Divided back, used postcard, postmarked December 4, 1922 from Tours, Indre et Loire, France. Publisher:  Inter-Art Co., Florence House, Barnes, London, S. W. “COMIQUE” Series. No. 3837. Made in Great Britain. Circa 1922.

Price:  $6.00

“De nombreuses joies pour les fêtes de PAQUES”

Cute illustration of rosy-cheeked little girl in red bonnet, carrying Easter lilies and a striped hat box, and bringing you “Many joys for Easter.”

The sender wrote,  “Easter Greetings. Still having a wonderful time! Visited Amboise yesterday and are going to Chenonceau to-day. Hope you are well. Will write soon, Lovingly, Ann.”

Addressed to:  “Mr. & Mrs. P. H. John, 701 – Grand St., Alameda, California – Etats-Unis d’Amerique”

A closer look at the sender’s handwriting was in order, after being a little puzzled at first, by the signature. This person has lovely handwriting in general, but an unusual style of writing her As – and we can compare the A in Ann to the A in Amboise and Alameda.

No census or city directory etc. records were found for the Mr. and Mrs. P. H. John of Alameda, although there is an H. P. John showing up in Alameda County that could be the same person, since we often see the first and middle names or initials switched around. Of course, more research could be done to likely locate them – a page by page census search, after narrowing down the census district, but this usually is quite time-consuming, unless one happens to get lucky. Anyway, this is a lovely card, and it’s always nice to find them in other languages.

Morgan Club House & Simmons Mfg. Co. Kenosha WI

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Harbor, Morgan Club House & Simmons Mfg. Co., Kenosha, Wis.

Pre-divided back postcard with  “Thank you come again   Otto Sorensen”  written under the above description. Check out the misspelling of Milwaukee in the publisher’s info on the front, and the publisher’s beautiful eagle logo on the back.

Card is addressed to  “Miss Etta Onul. 306 Canal Str. Rome N.Y.”

Simmons Manufacturing Company is the well-known maker of beds and mattresses, and the Morgan Club House was the building on the right (that roof style is known as “gambrel”) used for the local yachting community. The closest possibility for Otto Sorensen is the person listed on the 1910 Federal Census taken in Pleasant Prairie, Kenosha County, WI. (Pleasant Prairie is about seven miles west of Kenosha.) This census lists him as about age 26, living with his parents, Soren and Dorothea, and younger siblings, Theodore, Charles, Frederick, Mary and Annie. Otto works in an auto factory, but his father, Soren works for a bed manufacturer, (the Simmons Company?) The 1905 Wisconsin State Census shows the same family, with Otto working as a machinist. The addressee on this card, Etta Onul or Anul, is even more of a mystery. Nothing is showing for these last names in the Rome NY area, under some quick searches, as of the date of this post.

Pre-divided back, used postcard. Postmarked October 24, 1906 in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Publisher:  E. C. Kropp, Milwaukee, WI. No. 1549

Price:  $6.00

Sources and additional reading:  http://amhistory.si.edu/archives/d7731.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenosha_Yacht_Club

Year: Ancestry.com.. Wisconsin, State Censuses, 1895 and 1905 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007.

1910; Census Place: Pleasant Prairie, Kenosha, Wisconsin; Roll: T624_1715; Page: 6B; Enumeration District: 0033; FHL microfilm: 1375728. (Ancestry.com)

Picnicking On The St. Joe River, Idaho

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“Ustick Ida. Feb 25 ’12. Dear Ms Baker we are well and like our home all o.k. We are having beautiful[?] weather jist like [?] With love to all from us. M F Rice” [?] (or with love to all from Ms [and] Mr Rice)

This one’s pretty hard to read, and yes, that really is Ustick, Idaho. An unusual name for a town, at first glance. There is a Martin and Annie Rice (married) living in Ustick in 1920, who could be the senders. I looked at the next U. S. Federal Census after 1912, as the note makes it sound like the couple or family had just moved there. The card is addressed to:

“Mrs. [or Mr?] W. D. Baker, 315 So. Bleaker, Lead, So. Dakota”

I then checked the 1910 in Lead, SD, thinking that the Rice family had been neighbors of the Baker family, and did find Martin and Anna Rice living at 302 Prospect Avenue in Lead. Martin was born about 1850 in Pennsylvania, and wife Anna, born about 1857 in Illinois. Martin’s occupation appears to be Assessor for either the county or city. The difference in the Lead addresses in 1910, for the Bakers and Rices, is only about a half mile.

While I think we can be relatively certain of the sender, the receiver of this postcard was identified for sure, in census records. William D. Baker was born about 1869 in Missouri. His wife, Annie E., was born about 1879 in Vermont, and their daughter, Ruth, was born about 1901 in South Dakota. They appear on the 1910 Federal Census at the same address as on this postcard. (So. Bleaker is S. Bleaker Street.) William’s occupation is Blacksmith in a gold mine.

This was an interesting card to research; unusual in that both the sender (well, certain enough to bet on it, if we were betting) and the receiver were found. As to the front of the card, it’s a great hand-tinted photo of a group of people, including some children, so maybe it was a family group, having an outing (or picnic!) on the banks of the St. Joe River. Moored next to them is a houseboat.

Ustick, Idaho, a town no longer in existence, was named after Dr. Harlan P. Ustick. There  is also a Ustick Township, Illinois.

Divided back, used, hand-tinted postcard. Postmarked in Boise, Idaho on February 25, 1912. Publisher:  Edward H. Mitchell, San Francisco, California. Made in the U.S.A.

Price:  $8.00

Sources:  Year: 1910; Census Place: Lead Ward 3, Lawrence, South Dakota; Roll: T624_1483; Page: 10A; Enumeration District: 0046; FHL microfilm: 1375496. (Ancestry.com)

Year: 1910; Census Place: Lead Ward 4, Lawrence, South Dakota; Roll: T624_1483; Page: 8A; Enumeration District: 0048; FHL microfilm: 1375496. (Ancestry.com)

Year: 1920; Census Place: Ustick, Ada, Idaho; Roll: T625_287; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 29; Image: 571. (Ancestry.com)

http://localwiki.net/boise/ustick

City of St. Louis Mississippi River Steamboat

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“Dear Beatrice, I am nearly home again. had a nice visit with Susie lots to tell you. Will be up to see you soon. Love to all – Danille Ina [Indianapolis?]   Vera [Vena?] #5”

Postcard addressed to:   “Miss Beatrice Boyd, 3523 W. Michigan, Indianapolis, Ind.”  Dated August 5, 1910, and postmarked the same day in St. Louis, MO.

Postcard’s caption states “Typical Mississippi River Steamboat” but you can see the steamer’s name appearing on the box housing the paddle wheel. According to research, City of St. Louis was built in 1883, at Howard Ship Yards in Jeffersonville, Indiana, and was a sidewheel packet that operated on the Mississippi River. The term “packet” refers to steamers that were dominant on the U. S. rivers in the 1800s, that were designed to carry people and trade goods. City of St. Louis had five different owners during her short lifespan. She was “laid up” at Carondelet, Missouri and burned there on October 29, 1903. (We wonder what happened but this would require further research.) Carondelet is a neighborhood in the southeastern portion of St. Louis, and borders the river. There was another steamer, not to be confused with this one here, called City of St. Louis that was formerly Erastus Wells, but that ship was still operating in the 1940s.

It was a little bit of a surprise to find that Beatrice Boyd was only about nine years old when she would have received this postcard. She is found in the Federal Census record for Indianapolis in 1910, at the address on the card, with her parents, George W., born about 1874, and Minnie, born about 1878. All three were born in Indiana, and George’s occupation is listed as Moulder, working in a foundry. The sender of the card is a bit of a mystery. At first glance, one might take the writing there as several girls’ names, Danille, Ina and Vera or Vena, but this really doesn’t make much sense, and now seems a little comical, as with some additional thought, the more likely possibility is that it was from Vera or Vena, whose normal residence was in Danville, Indiana (about 20 miles away). Perhaps the #5 was part of Vera’s residence address. Or, perhaps even more likely, “Ina” was short for Indianapolis, and the address was 5 Danielle or Daniel.

Divided back, used postcard. Postmarked in St. Louis, Missouri on August 5, 1910. Publisher:  V. O. Hammon Publishing Co., Chicago.

Price:  $10.00

Sources:  http://dixieboat.hspsi.org/html/terms.html

http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu

http://www.steamboats.org/forum/steamboats-history/3038-two-stalwart-steamboat-survivors-2.html

Year: 1910; Census Place: Indianapolis Ward 15, Marion, Indiana; Roll: T624_369; Page: 6B; Enumeration District: 0259; FHL microfilm: 1374382. (Ancestry.com)

Erin Go Bragh

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Another beautiful old postcard for St. Paddy’s Day. This one, showing the Celtic Harp and some shamrocks on a green flag with gold-tone trim, and a white clay pipe in the foreground, is addressed to:

“Master Joseph Miller, 220 – 14th St., Oregon City, Ore.”

And the unknown sender wrote:  “Greetings from St. Patrick”  which is a little amusing (across the centuries from the blessed saint.) …The phrase Erin go Bragh is an English spelling for the Irish Éireann go brách (or go bráth) which is normally translated as “Ireland forever.”

The postmark year on this one is hard to figure out, but it looks like it could be 1900 or 1907. The use of the form of address, “Master,” indicates that Joseph was still a boy when he received this card. He is found in census records with his family. The 1900 and 1910 Federal Census show the street name and city as matching the address on this card. (The street number was not given on these census records for 14th Street.) Per the 1900, Joseph was born in Oregon, March of 1898 (March, a good month for St. Pat’s day!) His parents were Jacob Miller, born Kentucky about 1861, and Margaret, born Ohio, about 1870. The 1910 Federal Census shows the three Millers, and an additional family member, Joseph’s baby sister Margaret, age two.

Divided back, used postcard. Postmarked from Portland, Oregon, March 16th, exact year unknown, possibly 1900 or 1907. Printed in Germany. Publisher unknown.

Price:  $6.00

Sources:  Year: 1900; Census Place: Oregon City, Clackamas, Oregon; Roll: 1345; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 0088; FHL microfilm: 1241345. (Ancestry.com)

Year: 1910; Census Place: Oregon City, Clackamas, Oregon; Roll: T624_1279; Page: 12A; Enumeration District: 0043; FHL microfilm: 1375292. (Ancestry.com)

Summit of Mt. McClellan

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“6353. Above the Clouds, Nearly Three Miles High, Summit of Mt. McClellan, Colo. – Argentine Central Ry.”

Wow, quite a long way down. If you look closely you can see the images of a group of sightseers at the top. Anyway, here’s another from J. W. sent to cousin Lena:

“Holbrook Nebr. mar 24, 12. Dear cousen I received your card all right all are well here as far as i no. it is awfel mudy here now. lora mist the train yester morning i was down there and stay all night. i sow[saw?] lora will be [about?] this card there. we have ben having some high water agin. i have ben go to Elwood ever since i come from down there. ant[ain’t] gone yet but wont[want] to this week if i can   JWC”

Addressed to:  “Miss Lena Davis, Almena Kansas”

Elwood is a Nebraska town located about 26 miles northeast of Holbrook.

A little history regarding the railway mentioned in the postcard caption: The Argentine Central Railway was a 3 foot, narrow gauge railroad, built from the Colorado & Southern Railway at Silver Plume, Colorado to Waldorf, Colorado, (now a ghost town) and then onward up to the summit of Mount McClellan. Construction was started for the railway on August 1, 1905 and first opened one year later. It was intended for and used to carry tourists, as well as for use in the silver mining industry that was prevalent in the area. (Wikipedia)

Divided back, used postcard. Postmarked in Holbrook, Nebraska, March 25, 1912. Publisher unknown. No. 6353.

Source:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argentine_Central_Railway

Surprise Us – Write

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Divided back, used postcard. Postmarked from Merced, California, September 26, 1911. Image copyright 1911 by J. G. Steele.

Price:  $5.00

Three adorable puppies telling the receiver of this card to “Surprise Us – write.”  They look like they might be American Eskimo pups.

Postcard addressed to:  “Mrs. M. J. Canning, 126th – 20th Ave., San Francisco, Cal.”  Postmarked September 26, 1911 from Merced, California.

“Dear Louise – It seems ages since I heard from you hope you and your little ones are well – Would have seen you last month but I was laid up with malaria – am better now – Shirley started to school the first of this month – She is a big girl now she will be seven to morrow – Love to all and regards to Mr.  – Lovingly, Daisy”

Louise Canning was easy to find in the city directories. There are multiple entries there showing her with husband Montgomery J. Canning of Canning & Vinton Auto Co., and the business address shows as 453 and 455 Golden Gate Ave., San Francisco. Her friend, Daisy will be more of a challenge to locate….The only person that fits the description for Daisy (living likely in California in 1910, with five or six year old daughter named Shirley) is Daisy, born about 1882. She is married to Jesse Wood, born about 1878. They have two daughters, Shirley, born about 1905, and Marjorie, born about 1908. All family members are born in California. This is from the 1910 Federal Census taken in Merced.

The 1923 San Francisco City Directory shows Mrs. Louise E. Canning working as a clerk in a government prohibition office. This is rather interesting, along with finding her husband as co-owner of a car company (am presuming he and his partner’s company was a car dealership), and also quite interesting, the fact that Daisy had been sick with malaria, which is definitely surprising to read about nowadays, but must have been more common back then.

See Branch Brook Park In Winter, Newark, NJ for another Canning family card.

As to the postcard publisher, this is another one of those type that are unclear. The photo or image is copyrighted by J. G. Steele but was he the publisher? I’ve seen a reference to him (regarding another postcard for sale) with the publisher listed as Minneapolis Selling Co., but am not finding proof of this relationship. The one we have here seems to have been a series of four photos with these American Eskimo or Spitz puppies. He also did some with cats, and one or more with one of the pups and one of the kitties. The all seem to have been from 1911.

Sources:  Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

Year: 1910; Census Place: North West Merced, Merced, California; Roll: T624_89; Page: 7A; Enumeration District: 0102; FHL microfilm: 1374102. (Ancestry.com)